Your daily adult tube feed all in one place!
Singapore Airlines flight horror: The science behind turbulence - as a passenger is killed and multiple others injured on a UK flight to Singapore
Turbulence is the bane of any long-haul flight, but this natural phenomenon can be far more than simply annoying.
In the worst-case scenario, turbulence can rattle planes so violently that they rise and fall by as much as 100ft (30m) metres at a time.
Today, one passenger was killed and multiple others were injured when a Singapore Airways flight encountered particularly extreme turbulence.
In the wake of the incident, experts have revealed just how this terrifying and unpredictable weather phenomenon comes about.
Worryingly, as climate change continues to alter weather patterns, researchers warn that severe turbulence may become much more common.
Turbulence is the bane of any long-haul flight, but this natural phenomenon can be far more than simply annoying
Today, one passenger was killed and multiple others were injured when a Singapore Airways flight encountered particularly extreme turbulence
What is turbulence?
If you've ever been on a plane, it's likely you have already first-hand experience of turbulence.
The plane jolts and lurches up and down, drinks are spilt, and walking in the aisle becomes nearly impossible.
Dr David Birch, head of the head of the Centre for Aerodynamics & Environmental Flow at the University of Surrey, told MailOnline that this is all due to the flow of air.
'When you experience "turbulence" on an aircraft, this is because the aircraft has flown into a region of disturbed air, filled with swirls and eddies,' he said.
'Like a boat on a choppy sea, the aircraft is pushed around by the moving air.'
In the wake of the incident, experts have revealed just how this terrifying and unpredictable weather phenomenon comes about
That disturbance is ranked on a scale from 'light', which causes slight erratic changes in altitude, to 'severe', in which the aircraft is violently tossed about and becomes practically impossible to control.
In the most extreme cases, this not only makes flying uncomfortable, but can lead to structural damage to the plane itself and even harm to passengers.
The choppy air we feel as turbulence doesn't have a single cause and comes from a number of different sources.
Dr Birch explains: 'Turbulence can be caused by natural phenomena like normal atmospheric wind patterns, or by wakes of other nearby aircraft.'
One of the most common causes of severe turbulence is 'mechanical turbulence', which is very common around mountains and other physical obstructions.
If you imagine waves hitting a rock in the ocean, the previously uniform water is now broken up and choppy.
When winds hit mountains, the same thing happens, forming what are known as 'mountain waves'.
These broken-up air currents create packets of rolling, turbulent air that shake planes that try to pass through.
However, some of the most violent turbulence is caused by thunderstorms which create huge vertical currents of violent air.
According to the National Weather Service, these currents can cause planes to rise or fall between 600 and 1830 metres (2,000-6,000ft) at a time.
Nor is this disruption limited to the centre of the storm, as storms can trigger severe turbulence up to 20 miles (32km) downwind.
Some of the most violent turbulence is caused by thunderstorms which create huge vertical currents of violent air
But even without storms or mountains, commercial aircraft can still encounter strong currents called jet streams.
These narrow bands of air circulate around the planet around the same height as planes at speeds of more than 275 mph (442 km/h).
The difference between the fast moving jet stream and the surrounding air creates pockets of extremely volatile air which can have a big impact on passing planes.
Paul Williams, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading, told MailOnline that this is called 'clear air turbulence'.
Professor Williams says: 'It can be difficult to avoid because it doesn't show up on the weather radar in the flight deck.'
Storms produce some of the most disruptive turbulence due to the vast columns of rising air which can push planes between 600 and 1830 metres (2,000-6,000ft) up or down
What happened on the Singapore Airways flight?
A passenger has been killed and several passengers injured aboard a flight from London to Singapore, which was forced to make an emergency landing in Thailand.
The Boeing 777 plane operated by Singapore Airlines left the UK's Heathrow Airport on Monday evening at 22.17pm local time with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
However, the flight hit extreme turbulence while near Myanmar's aerospace, a region currently being battered by extreme tropical thunderstorms.
Aviation weather reports show that thunderstorms reaching 51,000ft are currently spread over western Thailand.
According to reports, the plane is believed to have plummeted for a number of minutes in extreme turbulence at 31,000 feet before descending rapidly.
It is possible that the rising air currents from the tropical storm may have caused the violent turbulence that forced the aircraft down.
However, full analysis of the type of turbulence that led to the fatality is likely to take some time.
This flight tracker showed the plane's route from London before diverting to Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. The plane rerouted shortly after passing by Myanmar aerospace which is currently experiencing severe tropical storms
In a statement posted to Facebook, Singapore Airlines wrote: 'Singapore Airlines flight #SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 20 May 2024, encountered severe turbulence en-route.
'We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board'.
It is not immediately clear what caused the passenger's death but it could be due to falling objects.
Dr Birch says: 'This is one of the reasons we're told to secure all bags in overhead lockers or under seats: these objects can become potentially dangerous in the unlikely event that the cabin is caused to shake around.
'Likewise, if you aren't wearing your seatbelt, you could be injured in much the same way as you would in a car even in a minor collision.'
Are deaths due to turbulence common?
Turbulence is extremely common and the vast majority of incidents do not lead to injury or death.
As Dr Birch explains, turbulence at altitude is a totally natural and normal phenomenon that we simply don't notice much of the time.
He says: 'The only time you can experience it is on an aircraft - and even then, pilots will have advance warning of pockets of high turbulence and will avoid them.'
However, turbulence is also the most common source of serious injury while in the air.
According to the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), there were 163 serious injuries due to turbulence between 2009 and 2022.
Of those, 163 affected cabin crew who are more likely to be stood in when turbulence hits.
A person is seen being carried away from the aircraft on a stretcher today in Bangkok
However, it is worth noting that the FAA only considers injuries serious when they require 'the individual to be hospitalized for more than 48 hours' or result in bone fractures, organ damage, haemorrhage, or severe burns.
Other injuries are not reported and so the true levels of injury due to turbulence are likely to be higher.
According to data published by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), there have been 22 fatal injuries due to a 'turbulence encounter' on US aircraft.
However, in almost half of those cases the whole aircraft was destroyed rather than a single passenger being injured.
Professor Williams told MailOnline: 'Turbulence fatalities on commercial flights are fortunately very rare, but have sadly increased by one today.
'The last fatality caused by clear-air turbulence on a commercial flight occurred on 28 December 1997, on a United Airlines flight from Tokyo to Honolulu.'
However, Professor Williams also notes that other forms of turbulence have resulted in deaths more recently.
Last year, turbulence caused 'fatal injuries to a passenger' aboard a jet flying from New Hampshire to Virginia.
Dana Hyde, 55, was killed after pilots switched off a system that helps keep aircraft stable, an investigation found.
Worryingly, Professor Williams also notes that turbulence is likely to become worse as time goes by.
As climate change changes global temperatures, the jet streams have become significantly more turbulent.
Professor Williams own research found that severe clear air turbulence has increased by 55 per cent over the North Atlantic since 1979.
He says: 'We now have strong evidence that turbulence is increasing because of climate change.
'Our latest future projections indicate a doubling or trebling of severe turbulence in the jet streams in the coming decades, if the climate continues to change as we expect.